In the commercial ice making industry, fragmentary ice is formed from sheets of ice. These sheets of ice are formed with industrial and commercial ice making equipment such as freon and ammonia ice makers known to those skilled in the art. Once the sheets of ice are formed, they are broken into fragments and deposited through the top of an ice storage bin. Ice storage bins are used extensively during the manufacture and delivery of fragmentary ice. A variety of storage bins are available which refrigerate ice for any period of time and deliver predetermined amounts of ice to a loading station where the ice is packaged for delivery. These known storage bins utilize an ice rake which discharges ice out of the bin through an opening in the end of the bin and onto a conveyor. The bottoms of these known storage bins are filled first and any new ice is deposited directly on top of any previously stored ice.
Consequently, these known storage bins utilize a first in/last out approach to ice storage and delivery. Known ice rakes first rake ice off the top of the fragmentary ice pile. The ice which is first to enter the storage bin and which is kept at the bottom of the storage bin can only be removed by the ice rake once the ice stored immediately above is evacuated from the storage bin. Thus, the ice at the bottom of the storage bin is stored in the storage bin substantially longer than any ice which has entered the storage bin more recently.
Most commercially available ice rakes utilize a chain and sprocket assembly which drags multiple channel members over the surface of the ice pile. The channel members have teeth and are suspended by the chain and sprocket assembly over the pile of ice. Gravity forces the teeth of each channel member into the pile of ice as the channel members advance in the storage bin. The teeth distribute the fragmentary ice in a level and uniform manner over the length of the bin. This leaves a large foot print in the pile of fragmentary ice. At one end of the storage bin, the ice, which has been collected with each pass of a channel member over the surface of the ice pile, is discharged into an opening in the floor of the storage bin where a screw conveyor removes the fragmented ice. The fragmentary ice is then sized and packaged for sale.
These known ice storage and delivery systems are subject to mechanical difficulties. These ice rakes tend to become buried in the ice pile when the rate of ice entering the storage bin exceeds that rate at which the ice rake is discharging ice from the storage bin. Moreover, the bottom ice (blue ice), which has been left for some time in the storage bin, will compact and solidify. This puts a greater demand on the ice rake to remove the ice from the storage bin before the ice cures into blue ice. Also, the teeth tend to become broken because of the weight of the ice rake as well as the blue ice. Earlier solutions to these problems inherent in the design of these known ice rakes involved building a more rugged ice rake.
Another problem associated with these known storage and delivery systems is rust. Ice and water can rust equipment. To minimize maintenance, the vital components of these known ice storage and delivery systems are typically electro-coated or hot-dip galvanized to minimize rust and corrosion. These vital components may also be available in stainless steel. However, the expense involved in protecting these components from rust and corrosion precludes stainless steel from becoming a viable option with these known ice rakes.
In response to the realized inadequacies of these known ice storage and delivery systems, it became clear there is a need for an ice rake which is corrosion and rust resistant, and less likely to allow blue ice to form. This new ice storage and delivery system must operate with less wear and less chance of breaking down. What is needed is an ice storage and delivery system which has an ice rake consisting of fewer parts and removes the ice stored at the bottom of the storage bin sooner.